Inbreeding depression can harm populations by causing genetic mutations to accumulate. Researchers studied fruit flies to see how inbreeding at different rates affects this problem. They found that slow inbreeding can help get rid of harmful mutations, reducing the negative effects of inbreeding. This was especially true for traits like egg-to-adult viability. However, other traits like developmental time and starvation resistance may not benefit as much from slow inbreeding. The environment and experimental conditions can also play a role in how effective purging of harmful mutations is.